Cold storage facility for Iloilo – guv

BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA

ILOILO City – Iloilo province may soon have a cold storage facility, Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. said.
Agriculture secretary Emmanuel Piñol promised to provide the facility when he met with onion and garlic growers in Miag-ao town, said Defensor.
The facility is estimated to cost P50 million.
“He (Piñol) announced it. All he asked of me was a site for the facility,” the governor said.
Defensor said he considers having the facility put up in Miag-ao.
Miag-ao and the neighboring Tubungan and Igbaras towns are home to many onion and garlic growers, he said.
A cold storage facility will enable the farmers to extend the shelf life of their produce, said the governor.
“Because their products generally have a short shelf life, garlic and onion growers are forced to sell them for a cheap price fast,” Defensor said in Hiligaynon.
But with a cold storage facility, the growers may keep their products and sell them for a considerable price when the demand increases, he said./PN